


Luck

by Darkicedragon



Category: Motorcity
Genre: Fighting dragons, Gen, Raymanthia AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-19
Updated: 2012-12-20
Packaged: 2017-11-21 14:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/598808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkicedragon/pseuds/Darkicedragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Chuck left Jacob's tavern one morning, his staff in hand, he had thought his day would progress as usual: normally, with nothing of interest happening; he didn't know what a chance meeting with one of King Kane's knights would lead to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RiniRhyme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiniRhyme/gifts).



> I eventually decided against using their titles, sorry!
> 
> Thank you so much to K and D for all their help with this fic! :)

Chuck frowned, brushing his hair away from his eyes. He was sure the mushrooms Jacob wanted were around… He jerked his head towards a distinct crash, the sound almost swallowed up in the dense foliage. It was _probably_ nothing, but he adjusted the grip on his staff anyway, just in case. 

Whatever it was, it was coming closer, sounding far bulkier than anything Chuck had heard before. He briefly bit his lip before he closed his eyes and swept his awareness out – there were always spirits he could sense around him, but only a few were just as receptive to _him_ as he was to them and it were those ones that he could truly communicate with. 

Chuck focused in the direction where the crashing had come from and - _there_. A red oak that felt older than Jacob whispered back at him, a soft query in its thoughts; Chuck let out a breath, forming the question in his mind, letting the oak hear it. There was only a short pause before the oak accepted, and Chuck's world span, settling again straight away, and he could see what the oak could. Experiencing the world through a spirit was always different, their senses prioritising different things compared to a human's. That, and it was uncomfortable not feeling a heart or a set of lungs.

Just as Chuck understood what he could see (colours were muted; light was enhanced), he felt the impact of something hitting the ground around the oak's roots as someone wearing light blue (those were _Northern Raymanthian_ colours) crashed into sight, looking harried – but it was impossible that _he_ was the one that had made the ground shake so much, so what had – 

Something huge, scaled, and bright red burst through the trees after the Northern Raymanthian (one of Kane's knights? He wore the uniform), snarling. 

Chuck twitched when he realised the echo he was hearing was getting shorter and louder, and how close the two had to be from where he stood. He sent a quick thank you to the oak before disentangling himself from it, blinking owlishly as his eyes adjusted to the switch, feeling the familiar drain after he used his power. Except he couldn't just stand there and hope they would miss him; he didn't have that kind of luck. 

It sounded like the two were heading _straight for him_ and if Chuck hadn't seen how fast the knight had been moving, he would have thought it was yet another one of Kane's plots to expand his kingdom (or maybe it was, and it had gone sour for the people involved). Chuck moved so that a tree would block the sight of him when the knight and beast reached him. He hoped. He shifted the weight on his feet as he gathered his magic, focusing it through his staff, feeling it pulse as it held his power. He could feel the two getting closer through the shudders travelling up his legs, and Chuck breathed out, trying to settle his heart, trying to prepare himself for what could happen next. The knight could still attack him, or try to make the beast attack him instead. 

The knight stumbled into sight from Chuck's _left_ , not his back, and Chuck span to face him, his staff raised; the knight (he was brown-haired, and looked about the same age as Chuck) stared at him, and then his expression flicked from sharp concentration to wide-eyed panic – it was that expression that made Chuck point his staff, a sizzling bolt of magic exploding from the tip. Seeing that, the knight dived out the way, the bolt passing him and crashing into whatever had been chasing him. The knight had been _worried_ about him, and that raised Chuck's expectation of him – now, if his magic had actually _done_ any damage to the –

"Is that a _dragon_?" he blurted out, seeing the claws, the fangs, the _wings_ that had flung themselves out at the impact. The colour of freshly spilled blood, it was twice the size of a horse, solidly built like it was made to smash through anything in its way. Two thick horns arched back from the top of its skull. But that was impossible! Dragons were a legend – no-one had seen one in centuries!

"Yes," the knight wheezed. "Gawk later!" The knight grabbed him by the arm and Chuck stifled his yelp as he was half-dragged for a few steps before he shook himself free, running on his own, hearing the dragon begin to catch up with them. 

"I don't suppose you know a teleportation spell?" the knight asked as he practically _loped_ alongside Chuck's stumbling gait. The dragon's roar dogged their every step, and Chuck didn't want to turn around, didn't want to see how close death followed them. But he could _hear_ the dragon smashing into trees behind them, splintering wood filling the air beneath the dragon's snarls. Chuck couldn't help but imagine that he could feel the dragon's breath at his nape, the dragon's fangs glistening just before they tore into him. 

The knight led them on a route that didn't seem to make any sense, using his own momentum to swing around trees; Chuck wasn't close to being as agile, having to shove himself off a tree to change direction each time, but it seemed to _work_ , if the constant crashing behind them was any indication. 

"Hah – not that powerful." _Jacob_ on the other hand… Chuck winced at the thought – the communication crystal hung around his neck, thumping him in the chest with every step he took, but he couldn't waste his breath to warn him.

"Guess we cou – woah!"

Chuck's own response wasn't as quiet as the ground suddenly gave way under them and everything was a whirling mass of brown before it came to an abrupt halt, all the air whooshing out of Chuck's lungs in one go. 

"O-ow." Chuck's back _hurt_ , and he rolled over to his side, coughing as he attempted to get to his feet as quickly as possible, trying to ignore how sore he already was, not wanting to think about what _else_ was going to happen next. There was a ringing in his ears - no, that was the dragon above them, scrabbling at the hole, roaring in fury, making more dirt fall on top of them. 

"Don't tell me it's going to chase us down here too…" Chuck groaned. They were out of reach – couldn't the dragon get bored and wander off? He looked around and found his staff only a short distance away, thankfully still in one piece.

"I think it is," the knight said, peering up, a hand shielding his eyes. He shook his head, turning to Chuck. "We need to get as far as we can from it before it does."

"We can't outrun it," Chuck pointed out. Not without any trees to block its path, but he straightened his cloak and looked around for an exit. 

"I don't know," the knight said, "we seemed to do a good job just now." 

Chuck didn't bother to respond, studying the area around them instead. They were in a cave, thick vines dangling from every surface, sprouting some kind of flowers that emitted a soft blue glow; it was enough to see clearly, and there was a clump of those flowers shining above a hole in the wall to their right. It looked deep enough and wide enough that they could pass through it – big enough for the dragon to squeeze through as well. 

"Hey," Chuck said, grabbing the knight's attention (and he really should find out what his name was if they survived this). "Down there." He nodded in the direction of the light.

"Wow, good eyes," the knight said before he started to head in that direction.

Chuck blinked, before he stifled a sigh and followed after the knight, gripping his bruised hip. Right. Sometimes he forgot what he could see wasn't always what everyone else could. 

"Are you all right?"

Chuck let out a weak laugh. "We just fell who knows how steep a drop after being chased by a _dragon_ ; I'll be all right if we survive this." 

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?" Chuck was sure he misheard that wistful tone. 

It was darker inside the tunnel, and Chuck could see the knight running his hand over the wall as they jogged forward; there wasn't anything strewn across the ground that he had to warn the knight about, at least. 

When they finally emerged from the other end of the tunnel, they were greeted with an even bigger cave, lit up by luminescent mushrooms, the spores dancing in an unfelt breeze, casting a purple light on everything, brighter than the flowers. That…was strange; Chuck had never seen anything like them before. He shook his head after he realised he had already bent over one to look at it closely, straightening up again. Now wasn't the time to be curious! 

"Huh, what's that?" 

And it looked like he wasn't the only one being distra… "Wow." There was a building leaning against the far wall, lit up by something that wasn't magic or mushrooms; it flickered, but not like a flame's. Strange characters were written across it, but Chuck couldn't read them. Was this…?

The knight had already clambered in through a window and had started to riffle through its contents. 

"What are you doing?" Chuck hissed, stilling at a ' _thump_ ' in the direction of where they had come from, the air getting trapped in his throat. Their time had just run out. 

"I need a weapon," the knight said, still looking through the room, disappearing from sight. "I lost my sword when I was – oh, _that's_ nice."

 _What_ was nice? But before Chuck could see what the knight had uncovered, there was an echoing roar and Chuck span around, lifting his staff in preparation, wildly looking for an exit again. 

There was a constant crashing sound coming towards them (did the dragon have their _scent_ or something?) but Chuck snapped his head towards a shout of triumph behind him. 

"Got it!" 

"Got w-" The dragon had already reached them, skidding to a halt, staring wildly around the cave. When it saw Chuck, it growled, narrowing its eyes as it started to stalk its way towards him. Seeing that singular focus on him made Chuck's knees weak, and he swallowed, trying to _think_ what they could do. 

But there was nothing – they were surrounded by walls at all sides, the only exit lay behind the dragon, and they couldn't _fight_ it. His magic hadn't even _scratched_ its scales, and the knight didn't have a weapon (except, what weapon _could_ pierce a dragon's hide?). They were trapped with a furious dragon that wanted them _dead_. 

When the dragon's attention shifted slightly, the direction of its snout turning to something to Chuck's left, he became aware of the knight's presence beside him. 

"Do you think you can trust me?" the knight murmured, and Chuck's mind stuttered, because how did the knight have a plan and what exactly was it? 

No time – the dragon was drawing in on itself and Chuck did _not_ like the way it was opening its jaw. 

"Yes," he said quickly. 

"Great – we're going to ride the dragon out of here."

"We're _going to WHAT_?" Chuck would have span around to gape at the knight, the dragon at their front be dammed, but the knight had grabbed him by the arm _again_ and hauled him out the way of the dragon's fire that tore its way towards them. 

It ploughed into the building and before they had time to blink, the building exploded, the blast knocking them sideways. 

This had to stop happening, Chuck thought dazedly as the world span again and he tried to drag air back into his lungs. 

All right, stay in an enclosed space that magically enhanced a dragon's fire, or try to get out, riding said dragon. They were _spoilt_ for choices. 

Chuck looked up to see burning debris crashing their way towards them. 

Instinct took over and Chuck swung his staff at the debris, magic crackling over the staff as it shot out and destroyed the debris above them.

"Still willing to ride the dragon," Chuck wheezed, thankful the dragon seemed as disorientated as they were as he lurched back to his feet, dodging the smaller pieces of debris. 

"Me too." The knight sent him a grin before his eyes widened and Chuck felt the dragon thundering towards them. 

There was suddenly a flash and a growling sound, more continuous than the dragon's and Chuck halted in his tracks to stare at the…weapon that had formed in the knight's hand. It was staff-like, lit up with blue magic on both ends – and he had to stop getting distracted. 

Chuck scrambled out of the way, trying to reach his equilibrium again as he watched the knight _dance_ his way around the dragon, keeping its attention on him through both attacking it and insulting it. His weapon was a flurry of motion, never keeping still for even a moment. The impossible thing in Chuck's mind was how the knight _grinned_ throughout it all, as if he were having _fun_. But every time the knight scored a hit, it became more and more obvious that, while the knight was doing _some_ sort of damage, all he was merely doing was antagonising the dragon, his new weapon not quite piercing its tough scales.

But then, since panic wasn't _quite_ holding him as strongly as it had been before, Chuck blinked at the sight of a collar around the dragon's neck, the familiar band of light blue in the middle. He gritted his teeth against the wave of rage that threatened to overwhelm him; so it _had_ been a plot of Kane's, using the dragon. He shoved the rest of his thoughts away with a shake of the head - he could find out the hows later, but he would only be able to do that if he survived this encounter. 

"The collar!" he yelled, drawing his magic to him again, focusing, hoping the dragon would keep still. And that the collar truly was controlling the dragon and not merely a marker of possession.

"Got it!" Chuck could see the shift in the knight's movements instantly, focusing, and Chuck had thought the knight had been fighting _before_ \- no, the knight had been concentrating on distracting the dragon, it was obvious now, now that Chuck had something to compare it to (distracting the dragon from _him_?). Every strike was directed, intending to bring him closer to the collar. 

That didn't change the fact that the dragon had its own weapons built into its skin, and Chuck stopped breathing when a clawed wingtip came scything down towards the knight. He span away just in time, but while it didn't hit him, the knight still stumbled; Chuck berated himself for merely _watching_ what was happening. He swung his staff, hastily flinging his magic at it, hoping that would be enough. The bolt of magic exploded from the tip and smacked into the wing. Chuck took more time to collect his magic together as he saw the dragon pause, lifting its head to face him again and he wavered, nearly losing the control he had on his magic. That - _had_ been what he'd intended, but he hadn't thought it through and- 

"Hey!" The knight had gotten back to his feet, throwing himself right back at the dragon. It snarled, whirling back at the knight. They could – they could try that. Work together to keep it distracted – the knight would be able to destroy the collar if he kept its attention. 

The tactic seemed to work, both of them distracting the dragon at different times, but Chuck could feel his energy depleting with every spell, taking longer to muster his magic together the longer the fight wore on. The fight needed to end _soon_ , but with how the dragon was constantly moving, Chuck couldn't predict where the dragon's neck would be next, and he constantly missed, sometimes not even hitting the dragon. 

The dragon lunged at the knight just then, its teeth snapping scant hairs away from the knight's head, but the knight leaped out the way, and that move extended the dragon's neck enough that Chuck quickly gathered his magic and cast. The shot finally impacted perfectly, and the collar disintegrated in a blaze of blue. 

The dragon halted in its tracks, frozen like the collar had animated it. Chuck stood there, gaping at it as he breathed harshly. Was it over? Was the dragon going to leave them alone?

"Now!"

Now? For what? Except Chuck found _exactly_ what the knight wanted when the knight suddenly dashed _towards_ the dragon. 

_That_? Even as he watched, the dragon seemed to be shaking itself free of its stupor and Chuck started to run towards the dragon as well, his gut screaming that he wouldn't make it before the dragon flew off. 

"Hurry!" the knight yelled at him, already scrambling up the dragon's side, his weapon gone. Already, the dragon seemed to have freed itself of whatever had been holding it, and it did _not_ like having a human climbing over it. It roared, trying to shake the knight off but he wouldn't be dislodged. 

He was _trying_ to, and Chuck dodged a paw that tried to flatten him to a paste, not sure _how_ he was supposed to make his way up when the dragon was absolutely refusing to _stay still_. 

Chuck's stomach dropped further when he had to shield his eyes with his arms when the dragon flapped its wings, throwing dirt into the air. 

"Jump!" 

_What_? Was the knight – how could he think – But the knight was there, a hand clasped around a wing-joint, his other hand reaching towards him. 

He was only going to have one chance at this. Chuck gathered the last of his strength and threw himself at the knight, flinging his hands up. 

The knight caught his wrist, and an 'Oof!' escaped Chuck's throat as he slammed into the dragon's scales. Ignoring that, he tried to find purchase _anywhere_ on the dragon and one of his feet finally caught onto one of the dragon's legs, and he shoved himself up, sprawling across the dragon's back, his staff still clasped in his deathgrip. 

Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Chuck yelped when he felt hands at his cloak, hauling him back into a sitting position. He fell back onto the knight before straightening himself.

"Why did you-" He had been fine where he was. _Not moving._

"It'll make staying on the dragon easier," the knight explained. 

…Oh. Oh no. He'd only been thinking about getting _on_ the dragon; he hadn't thought about what was going to happen _after_. 

There was also a very obvious problem that Chuck could see. " _How_ do we stay on the dragon?" he squeaked, because all there was in front of Chuck was the dragon's head, its horns thankfully pointing _away_ from him; there was nothing to hold on to! 

The knight _laughed_. "With some difficulty, luck, and a lot of grip!"

Chuck took a breath to retort –because what kind of plan was _that_?- except the dragon flapped its wings once more, launching itself into the air with a weightless leap that dragged Chuck's stomach _though_ his feet and then he was using all the air in his lungs to scream as loudly as he could as the dragon continued its rolling ascent, rocking up and down with every wingflap. 

As tough as dragon scales were, they was also _smooth_ , with almost no purchase. Chuck found himself with his hands braced against the dragon's back, his cloak jerking everywhere with every flap of the dragon's wings. Except that meant he could see the ground getting further and further away in the corner of his eyes; if he lost his balance right then and slipped off… He had some distance to fall. He swallowed, his arms shaking.

When they reached the ceiling, close enough that Chuck could see the overhanging roots, the dragon reared its head back, blasting a fireball at the ceiling and Chuck's back slammed into the knight as he tried to make sure he didn't get skewered by the beast's horns. The fireball went _through_ the ceiling. Where the dragon was still heading straight towards, breathing another gout of flame, making the hole even bigger. 

Chuck stared in wide-eyed horror, his heart stampeding in his chest as he realised what was going to happen. They weren't covered in fire-resistant scales like the dragon was; they were going to be _burned alive_ when it squeezed through the hole! They didn't have – Chuck's cloak pulled at him again with the next wingbeat and that sparked an idea in Chuck's mind. He frantically yanked off his cloak, throwing it over him and the knight as he tucked his legs up, hoping that would be enough, that it would grant them _time_. The knight understood what his plan was instantly, grabbing hold of his cloak. 

Chuck knew exactly when they started to pass through the hole: everything became unbearably hot and he started coughing, tearing up at the smoke, the dragon's muscles bunching up differently under them. 

When the light suddenly changed, Chuck had absolutely no air left in his lungs when the knight wrapped an arm around his waist, and jumped. They tumbled in a storm of confusion until the cloak was snatched away and Chuck had just enough time to see the ground rush towards him before he met it practically face first. 

Coughing, he rolled over, dazedly trying to see where the dragon was; he was glad when he saw it continuing its path, completely ignoring them. 

" _That_ is why I don't ride horses," Chuck said hoarsely, making absolutely no attempt to move.

The knight chuckled, though it trailed off into a cough, and Chuck could already hear him moving. How much energy did he _have_? "Horses aren't bad! Especially when you compare them to a dragon."

"Haaa." He had no strength to argue. _Really_ no strength to argue. Every part of him felt bruised, he'd used up all of his magical reserves, and his heart was _convinced_ it had to keep its rampaging beat or else he would die otherwise. 

But they were alive. That was the important thing. 

"My name's Mike," the knight said, his voice sounding drowsy, or was that him?

"Chuck." There was no stopping the way Chuck's eyelids were drooping, and he let exhaustion take him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chuck was awoken by a buzzing by his chest and he groped at it out of habit, letting his fingers find the crystal instead of opening his eyes. He grimaced at how hard that alone was, his skin feeling sensitive, and he only remembered what exactly had happened when his fingers brushed against the crystal, activating it. 

"Where are – Chuck? What's wrong? What happened?"

Chuck blearily opened his eyes and peered at Jacob's image as it hovered a little off the ground. "Would you believe me if I said I fought a dragon?" he asked, his voice rasping. He grimaced, swallowing, feeling how dry his throat was. He really needed a drink - anything, really, to soothe his throat. 

"You fought a-?" Jacob paused, and Chuck was fairly sure he could see him rubbing his chin. "You look like it."

He _felt_ like it. Chuck still smiled wanly at that though, testing his body, seeing if he actually had the ability to stand on his own two feet. He did, using his staff more like a cane, but his body protested the whole time, as well as demanding food. Chuck scrubbed at his eyes with a fist, hoping that would clear them.

"Do I want to know _how_ you stumbled across a dragon?" There was amusement in Jacob's voice, but Chuck could see the worry written all over his face by the way he checked Chuck over, his eyes lingering over particularly dirty patches on his clothes and skin. 

Chuck made a face. "Kane," he said, gritting his teeth. "The dragon wore some sort of collar – when we got destroyed it, it stopped attacking us."

Jacob's eyebrows rose. "'Us'?" he repeated, glancing around the area. 

"Yes, u… Huh?" Chuck stared around himself, but all he could see was the gaping hole the dragon had left, the ground around it charred black, the smell of burnt grass still lingering in the air. His cloak wasn't in sight, and Chuck wasn't sure it would have survived its encounter with fire anyway – he was glad it hadn't set _them_ on fire. 

"The knight," Chuck said slowly. What was his name again…? "Mike. He was the one who…"

There was a rustle to Chuck's right, and he whirled around, almost tripping over his own feet as his mind told him he had moved far too fast; he raised his staff, trying to call his magic to him. It came to him sluggishly, but it should be enough for a few spells if he needed them. 

"Woah, hey, it's just…me?" Mike looked at Jacob in curiosity. "Hello."

Jacob smiled at Mike, nodding. "Pleasure to meet you," Jacob said. "I hear you're the one who kept my Chuck out of trouble."

At that, Mike chuckled, using the hand that wasn't holding a pair of rabbits to rub the back of his neck as he turned his face away briefly. "I was the one who _brought_ trouble to him – it was only fair I get him out of it as well." 

"Hrm. Well, I guess introductions are in order – I'm Jacob."

Chuck hadn't expected Mike's friendly expression to freeze, his eyes narrowing as his hand reached for his hip – his _sword_ , Chuck realised, his own eyes widening. If he still had his sword –

"What are you doing?" Chuck demanded, throwing his arm out in front of Jacob. It didn't matter that Jacob wasn't physically there; if Mike acted like that at a mere apparition, what would have happened if he'd met Jacob in person?

"Chuck, it's fine," Jacob said, walking through him and Chuck sighed in exasperation, still watching Mike carefully. "I see Kane is still spreading rumours and lies about me." His tone was neutral, without judgement. 

At Jacob's words, Mike's expression faltered. "I…" Mike winced, letting out a breath. "I'm sorry," he eventually said quietly, his shoulders slumping. "It's just, I'd heard so many stories about you and thought they were the _truth_ …" Chuck could see him grit his teeth, his hand closing into a fist. 

"It's a little hard when you find out everything you know are lies," Jacob said, his voice kind. "Don't worry about it; what matters is you know the truth now." 

Mike didn't say anything to that, looking away as he rubbed his chest. Chuck glanced between them, wondering what exactly Mike had been told that would make him react like that, but he put the thought to the back of his mind – it didn't matter; Kane lied about a lot of things. Like being a benevolent King, who only wanted the best for his people – what he failed to tell the people of Northern Raymanthia was that he did that through intimidation and torturing the individuals who did not follow his every beck and call, enslaving those that refused to do as he said or those who looked as if they would speak out about the truth. 

"Now that we have that sorted out," Jacob said, stepping back so he had both Chuck and Mike in view, "do you know where you are?"

Chuck shook his head. "We were in the Whispering Forest when we fell into the hole, but after that…" He shrugged, looking around. "We're still there; I'm just not sure where exactly." 

"Sounds like you have quite the story to tell," Jacob teased, smiling. 

Chuck laughed weakly at that. That didn't even _begin_ to cover it. 

Jacob studied him again before nodding. "I'll have a warm meal ready for you both when you get back."

Chuck sent him a tired smile, even at the prospect of Jacob's cooking. "We'll try to be back as soon as we can." He glanced at Mike, realising what he'd just said. "If you want to come…?" It wasn't as if Mike was under any obligation to.

Mike smiled and gave a short nod. "I'd be grateful of that, especially after our bad start," he said with a grimace. 

Jacob waved a hand. "I've already said all is forgiven; I'll see you when you get back." When Chuck nodded, Jacob's image winked out of sight. 

Chuck let out a long breath, leaning on his staff as he let go of the crystal. 

"I'm sorry about that," Mike said as he approached him. 

Chuck shook his head. "No, Jacob's right – ah, sorry about jumping at you too; I _know_ Kane spreads lies but…" He pursed his lips, looking away. 

"He means a lot to you, huh?" Mike said softly. 

Chuck nodded. "Jacob took me in without asking anything in return, trained me…" Chuck had spent most of his life trying to hide what he was and what he could do; it had been a relief to find someone who not only didn't care, but knew how to teach him better control so he could tell what he was actually talking to. 

There was a shuffle from Mike. "I know the feeling." Mike sighed, shaking his head, before he lifted the rabbits up like he was offering a peace offering. Which, after what had happened, maybe that was what he felt like it was too. "Want breakfast?"

Chuck eyed the sun's position in the sky before he sent him a small smile. "I think it's more lunch, but…it'd be nice."

Mike chuckled. "It's the first time we've woken today - it's breakfast for us." 

Chuck wasn't going to argue the specifics, not when his stomach was demanding food now that it knew there was some in the vicinity. But there was one thing he had to do first. He looked Mike up and down in the full light of the sun, seeing the rips and tears, the dark patches that looked suspiciously like dried blood. "How are you feeling?" 

"I could be worse," Mike said with a shrug as he started to prepare the rabbits. "I'll heal."

"I…could help with that," Chuck offered hesitantly. "Jacob taught me a few healing spells." He couldn't heal anything serious, but smaller injuries were doable. 

Mike blinked at him. "Are you sure?" he asked. "If you need to reserve your magic…"

Chuck shook his head, pointing to the rabbits. "I'll regain some of my strength with food, and unless the dragon comes back, I won't need to use my magic again soon." It shouldn't come back; if it had, it would have done it while they were unconscious. 

"All right," Mike said, nodding. "I wasn't hurt though, so-"

"Mike," Chuck said, beginning to frown; he knew diversionary tactics when he saw them – he used them himself. 

Mike stopped, not saying anything. Then he sighed heavily, giving him a rueful smile. Mike stopped what he was doing and lifted his tunic, revealing a mottled bruise that spanned the entire right side of his torso and Chuck winced at the sight of it, even as he leaned in to study it. There weren't any open wounds, barring a few scrapes – had he really avoided all of the dragon's attacks? 

"When we fell?" Chuck hazarded, already calling on his magic. He hadn't seen the dragon hit Mike, so that was the best explanation Chuck could think for it. 

He saw Mike nod. "What about you?"

"The same," Chuck admitted with a wince, his hip throbbing like it knew it was being talked about. 

Mike chuckled at that and then his form was lit up by Chuck's blue magic. Chuck watched the bruise as it retreated and grew smaller, the scrapes also fading from view, leaving only dry trails of blood. The bruise didn't disappear completely, but Chuck had used the weakest spell he knew – it didn't matter what he'd said, he was still worried if something else happened and he needed to use his magic again. He cast the same spell on himself as Mike checked over his handiwork, and Chuck sighed in relief as some of the ache left him, his skin no longer feeling so stretched thin. 

Once the rabbits were roasting over a fire, Mike asked, "So, you can use magic?" There was only curiosity there, and no hostility or attempt to dig too much to Chuck's ear.

"Yes," Chuck said, giving him a half shrug, hearing it as the opening for a conversation it was. "Like I said, I'm not that powerful."

"Heh, I wouldn't say that." 

Chuck turned his head to stare at him. "Did you not see-"

"I did," Mike interrupted, _that_ grin on his face again. "We wouldn't have made it out there without you."

Chuck snorted, shaking his head. Mike could have easily done it himself; he hadn't needed his help. 

Mike apparently read the expression on his face and raised his eyebrows. "Who was the one who blasted off the controlling collar?"

"Me," Chuck said, hunching his shoulders. "But you would have gotten it yourself with enough time." _That_ had been obvious. 

"No, I wouldn't have," Mike said, watching him. "We worked together to keep it distracted from focusing on one of us for too long; if we hadn't…" He shrugged, not needing to continue. 

He did have a point… And since they seemed to be talking about that, Chuck has a question of his own. "Where did you learn how to fight like that?" He had seen how Kane's knights fought before; they were _nothing_ like how Mike moved, especially with a weapon like that. 

Mike's expression turned pained, but before Chuck could retract his question, Mike waved a hand, already opening his mouth to answer. "I…was trained by King Kane," he offered, looking away. "Personally." 

What…? _He_ had been-? Chuck struggled past his initial surge of anger, letting Mike speak before he snapped again. 

Mike dug into a pouch and pulled out…a skull. Chuck stared, studying it, his eyebrows furrowed. It sat snuggly in Mike's palm, shone like silver, its surface clear enough that it reflected everything around it. Its eye sockets glowed a dull red. Was it enchanted…? And where did he get it?

Mike did _something_ and there was that flash of blue again, and that double-ended weapon materialised in Mike's hand, the constant humming filling the air again.

"He never taught me how to use a weapon like this though," Mike murmured, flexing his hand, turning the weapon back into its skull form. "It just felt…right. I knew what I was doing, even when I first saw it."

"Like it was telling you what to do…?" Chuck asked, intrigued as he studied the skull with renewed interest. It sounded like it was possessed by a spirit, but Chuck couldn't hear or see anything from a cursory mental poke at it. Maybe the weapon only did that with the people it chose? It didn't _feel_ malevolent to him, at least. 

"I don't think so," Mike said, shaking his head. "It felt like an instinct."

Chuck didn't have a response to that, so he kept quiet as he mulled the information over.

Mike hummed, turning the skull over in his hands. "I've never seen a weapon like this; have you?"

Chuck shook his head slowly. "I'd…be surprised if you had," he said carefully, "because I think it was created by the Old Civilisation."

Mike nearly dropped the skull, his expression dumbfounded. "Really?" he asked. "How do you-?"

Chuck gave him a small shrug as he turned the rabbits around. "The characters written on the building weren't anything I've seen before, and if you found something like _that_ inside it… It's the only explanation I can think of." It was more advanced than anything Chuck had ever encountered, and if Mike didn't know what it was, then Kane hadn't made that many advancements either. 

"Huh." Mike didn't say anything for a while, and Chuck busied himself with poking at the fire. "Do you think there are other places like that? Where we could find…" Mike waved towards the skull. 

A startled laugh escaped Chuck's lips before he could stop it. "Do you have _any_ idea how lucky we were finding that? We stumbled across it by pure chance!" 

Mike _grinned_ , a challenge in his eyes. "And maybe we'll be able to do it again!" His grin faltered, his gaze going inward. "We need to get anything we can to be able to fight back against King Kane," he said, his voice soft. 

Well, Chuck could definitely agree with _that_. He looked at Mike's weapon again. If that was what _one_ weapon from the Old Civilisation could do, what else had they created? Chuck had read that it had been several centuries since the people of the Old Civilisation had been around, and if their creations still worked this long after being made… They had been built to last, that was for certain. And that was how it held up against _dragonhide_ \- what would it do against something not as resilient?

"We would have to research possible sites," Chuck offered. They wouldn't be the first to try to find the remnants of the Old Civilisation, and as far as Chuck was aware, no-one had ever been successful in finding one, and seeing how _they_ had stumbled across a site, Chuck wasn't surprised. 

"You're with me, then?" Mike said, a smile on his face, and Chuck just nodded. 

"If we can find something that can help us fight back against Kane, then it'll be worth it."

"Glad to hear it."

~ * ~

It didn't take them long to finish 'breakfast', and they started moving after that, in the direction that Chuck was sure would lead them to the inhabited area of Southern Raymanthia. 

He couldn't help but spread his senses out further than he usually did, just in case the dragon decided to come back; it wasn't the same as exchanging his senses with a spirit's, but more asking them to keep a lookout for him. It didn't give him as much information, but it meant he wasn't as helpless. And he could keep a conversation at the same time. 

"-and after that I – huh?" Chuck frowned, turned his head to the right, feeling a flurry of warning. He sent a light query to the giant hyssop trying to get his attention. 

He took in a breath when his world shifted, showing a haze of blue, the helms of knights gleaming in the sunlight, and he could hear the whinny of horses. _Kane's knights_. 

"That traitor has to be around here somewhere!" the one at the front snarled. "King Kane doesn't care he sent the dragon on his tail; he wants to know for _sure_ Chilton's dead!"

"Thank you," Chuck mumbled to the giant hyssop, putting a hand on his head as he pulled himself away from it, trying to stay his dizziness. 

"What for…?" Mike was looking at him, a puzzled expression on his face. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Not really," Chuck said, shaking his head before he peered at Mike. "Your family name – is it Chilton?"

Mike's jaw dropped, and he stared at Chuck, wide-eyed. "How did-"

"No time," Chuck said, cutting him off as he turned around. "Kane's knights are looking for you, and we're heading right towards them."

"Wh-?" Mike looked over his shoulder to where they had been going before his expression darkened. "I didn't think he'd care _that_ much."

"Well, apparently he does." Chuck was still tired from what had happened the day before, his muscles protesting even just with walking; he didn't know about Mike, but he didn't want to fight Kane's knights any time soon. 

"How far are they?" Mike asked as he followed him. 

"Too close," Chuck grumbled, keeping his senses open, the spirits fleetingly telling him where the knights were. "We're going around them-" It wouldn't be too hard at the speed the knights were riding. "-I just hope they don't decide to turn around." He'd done enough running for a _week_ already. They'd been able to outrun the dragon because it had been too big; they wouldn't be able to do the same with horses. 

Chuck sighed when he saw Mike's conflicted expression before it smoothened out. "I'll explain when we aren't trying to avoid being killed." Hopefully they wouldn't run into something _else_ after this. 

"Oh, you don't have to," Mike said, but Chuck shook his head. 

"It'll help if you know." If Mike knew, he'd know what the signs were when he was communicating with the spirits and hopefully, Mike would look out for him during those times. 

Chuck froze when there was another flurry of warning, and Chuck could see one knight breaking away from the rest to turn back, riding in the direction he and Mike were in. 

"Dammit!" he breathed. Did that one have magic, or was it just their luck? After what had happened the day before, Chuck wouldn't be surprised if it was their luck. 

"What is it?" Mike said, watching him. 

"There's a knight coming back this way," Chuck told him, not sure if they should keep moving in the same direction, change direction, or stay where they were. The knight looked like they were moving in a straight line, so if they stayed where they were, the knight should pass them by without stumbling across them. Should.

Mike frowned, looking thoughtful. "Do you think they'll find us?"

"I don't know," Chuck said slowly, trying to keep track of where they were heading. "Possibly."

Mike looked at him carefully. "Do you think you'd be able to draw their attention here?"

Chuck gaped at him. "Why do you _want_ to?" The knight passing them was the best outcome they could have! 

"If we can surprise the knight, we might be able to steal their horse – we'd be able to get away faster."

Oh. That made sense. Chuck grimaced at the thought of riding a horse anyway, but it was better than being _chased_ by one. He did a quick check of where the knight was and nodded. "I can send a magic bolt to draw their attention here, but what about after that?"

Mike grinned. "Leave that to me," he said as he started to climb one of the trees. "As soon as you draw the knight here, stay out of sight, all right?"

Chuck nodded. He closed his eyes, casting his senses towards where the knight had been heading. 

It took a bit of time, but he was able to pinpoint the knight's location, and he felt both a bit of relief and nervousness crawling in his stomach seeing how close the knight was. He let out a breath, his eyes fluttering open as he gathered his magic together. He yelled as he swung his staff, and he heard the surprised shriek of a horse in the distance in response when his magic smashed into a tree. 

All right; he had done what he was supposed to. Chuck hurried away, hiding behind one of the trees. 

It wasn't long until hoofbeats drummed the air and Chuck just hoped they would go to where Mike had concealed himself. 

"Dam-" A rustle and then a thud. The horse snorted, taking a few steps back. 

"Woah, easy there, it's okay," Chuck heard Mike murmur, and he peered around the tree to see Mike sitting on top of the horse, patting its neck, the knight sprawled on the ground. 

Mike grinned at the sight of him, gesturing at him to come closer with a wave of his hand. "Come on!" 

Chuck winced, not looking forward to the upcoming ride, but hurried over. Mike held out his hand and Chuck grabbed it, bracing himself to be pulled up onto the horse. 

When he was behind Mike, Chuck let out a breath, trying to settle his heart before they started-

Chuck yelped, clinging onto Mike for dear life, somehow not pulling them both off the horse when it _reared up_ onto its hind legs, and then they were galloping, Mike's carefree laughter echoing in his ears as the wind blew the hair away from his face. 

"This is the right direction, right?" Mike asked him over his shoulder. 

"I don't know!" Chuck yelled back, not caring that his mouth was right next to Mike's ear, his blood thundering around his body, making it hard to hear much else. But what was the point of being able to travel faster if you were going to go in the _wrong_ direction? 

It was good he didn't need his eyes open to know where they were going. Chuck let out a breath, casting his senses out for the spirits and was rewarded with a bigtooth aspen telling him where they were currently going. They were going in the right direction, but they'd overshoot if they went on for too long. 

"Go left!" he told Mike, and he felt the horse change direction as soon as he said that. 

Except he couldn't help every little yelp and squeak that burst out of his mouth at every leap the horse did, so Chuck _had_ to open his eyes to know when they were about to dodge around a tree. Seeing trees rush up towards them made Chuck's stomach flop every single time, but also every single time, Mike steered the horse clear of them as if he and the horse shared the same mind. 

"Are they following?" Mike asked after a while, and Chuck groaned, burrowing his face into Mike's shoulder. All thoughts of pursuit had flown from his mind once the horse had started moving and he'd just concentrated on keeping upright. He breathed in, trying to ignore his queasy stomach, and cast his senses out, reaching for the spirits that had told him about the knights in the first place, and they responded, showing him all the knights had turned around, other spirits showing him the knights had clustered around their fallen kinsman, helping them to their feet. 

"I think they're still-" The knights were gathering around what Chuck assumed were hoofprints and he groaned again, seeing them as they remounted and urged their horses forward. "They're following," he amended, groaning. 

He felt Mike tense. "How close are we?"

"To Southern Raymanthia? Not that far." 

"Hm. They know where we're headed, but maybe we can slow them down…" Chuck yelped and clung harder onto Mike when the horse swerved right. They continued on for a while before Mike stopped the horse, and Chuck let out a breath, unlocking his hands around Mike's waist. Mike slid off, patting the horse on the neck, keeping it steady. 

Chuck followed Mike's example, his legs shaking, and watched when Mike sent the horse off, hoping that would be enough to distract the knights for at least a while. He winced, feeling his aching muscles protesting along with the new ones, a headache developing from using his power too much, but he turned around and started heading back to Southern Raymanthia. If it _didn't_ distract the knights, they needed as much of a head start as they could. 

He kept his senses open, asking the spirits to keep track of the knights. It didn't take long before the knights caught up to where they had changed directions and he stopped, watching what they would do from a heart-leaved aster's perspective. 

He thought he heard Mike's voice, but he ignored it, focusing on what the knights were about to do. The aster's hearing wasn't that sharp, and it was a little distance away from where the knights stood, but he could see them well enough when the leader gestured to half of the knights, pointing to where Mike had changed directions. Those knights rode off instantly, while the rest of the knights continued on in the straight direction. 

Chuck let out a breath, blinking. "They've split up; I _think_ they should pass us by." But they hadn't been at all lucky since…the dragon attack and Chuck didn't think that was going to change soon.

Mike nodded. "All right. That's good to hear." He then peered at Chuck. "You can't see or hear anything when you're…" He waved a hand, indicating the forest around them. 

Chuck grimaced as he started moving again; it really was obvious. "I can; just…not around _me_ ," he clarified. 

Mike smiled. "It's pretty useful."

Chuck shrugged, already getting used to Mike's apparent need to compliment him. "It is, but I need to be in a safe place to be able to do it properly; I'm completely defenceless otherwise."

"Well, for the moment, you've got me," Mike said, his smile turning into a grin. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Chuck couldn't stop his own small smile spreading across his face. "We work well together, huh?"

Mike nodded. "I'll say!" And then Mike threw an arm around Chuck's shoulder in a one-armed hug. Before Chuck's brain could fully comprehend what had just happened, Mike had already stepped away, acting like what he'd just done hadn't meant anything. And maybe it hadn't, not to Mike, but it wasn't something Chuck was really used to, his habit of keeping people at a distance still too ingrained, even after all the time he'd already spent in Southern Raymanthia. 

He shook his head, putting that thought to the back of his mind. There were other, more important things to, think about first.


	3. Chapter 3

It didn't take them long to finally reach the more inhabited areas of Southern Raymanthia, but it felt like it to Chuck, the headache beginning to pulse behind his eyes the longer he kept his senses open. The sunlight flickering past the forest canopy hadn't helped matters, and then they had to step into the full sunlight, leaving the forest behind them. He had to keep a hand up to cover his eyes, but everything was still too bright, even when he closed them. 

"Hey," Mike said softly, by his side, their elbows jostling. He'd been there for a while, though Chuck couldn't remember when exactly Mike had placed himself there. "We're nearly there."

"I know," Chuck murmured, squinting against the glare. "Jacob's tavern isn't too far from here." It just _seemed_ like it was a yawning distance between them when every step he took thudded in his head. 

"That's good to hear." There was a small pause. "If you're still using your magic - I mean…"

"We need to know if there are any knights coming," Chuck said, even as he winced at the dizziness his own voice gave him. 

"But you haven't seen them for a while, have you?"

"…No," he admitted. The spirits close-by hadn't heard or seen anything recently, and as far as he knew, the knights had kept going on the paths Mike had led them on. Except that meant…

Chuck grimaced. "There might be knights in Southern Raymanthia, if the first group didn't get called away or lost." And the chances of _that_ weren't very likely. 

Mike sighed softly. "Then there's no way you can stop doing what you're doing?"

Chuck would have sent Mike a dry look if he'd been able to _see_ him without a stabbing pain in his head. "I'd rather be alive and dealing with a headache than _dead_."

"Well, if you collapse, I might have a problem finding Jacob's tavern…"

He blinked at that, and then winced. Navigating through Southern Raymanthia wasn't anything like travelling through Northern Raymanthia, where everything was signposted and there were clear-cut paths to use. "I'm not going to collapse," he said, but he could hear his own uncertainty threading through at the end. 

"Uh-huh." It wasn't hard to hear the disbelief in Mike's flat tone either. "You haven't been walking straight since we left the forest. Before that, even." Mike sighed. "Rest for now, all right? I can keep a lookout for the both of us for now – I'm not saying I can do it better than you, but I think I can manage." There was Mike's reassuring grin again, and Chuck closed his eyes, thinking it over. He had a better range than Mike, and he could be more certain of what he saw or heard but… It didn't matter if he could do that if he fainted from the strain and Mike had to drag his body to Jacob's tavern, especially when he didn't know where to find it. 

"…All right," he said, letting out a breath as he shielded his mind. The headache retreated almost instantly and Chuck sighed, rubbing his forehead, even though he knew that wouldn't chase the stubborn remnants of the headache away. Maybe he _had_ been doing that for too long… He winced as his mind tried to get used to being closed off after being open for so long; it wasn't good when the mind started to get used that.

It took him a while to feel like he was actually _there_ instead of slightly detached from his body but when he was, he grimaced, realising just how close he had been to leaving his mind completely open, no matter that he had only kept his attention on the spirits at the basic level. 

"Thank you," Chuck said quietly, brushing the hair away from his eyes, making sure he could feel everything. He knew the problems with keeping his senses open for too long, had experienced them first-hand, but he'd never had to use them for so long since Jacob had taught him how to control his power. 

"Feeling a bit better?" Mike asked as he peered around the corner of a building. 

"Yes." He shook his head. "Next time, you should just tell me to stop - believe me, it's better that way."

Mike pulled back to grin at him. "Understood. The coast is clear right now, and I don't think I hear any knights." 

Chuck nodded. "Jacob's tavern is left of here, past the building with the purple door."

"All right." Mike looked around one last time, and then gestured for Chuck to follow. 

They didn't take long to reach that building, and Chuck smiled at Mike's dumbfounded expression at what lay in front of them. Roads sprawled in all directions, houses raised seemingly at random (and they probably had been), and while it looked like a mess, it was also _home_. Colour was splashed everywhere, a physical rainbow that was ordered just like the buildings. Chuck had helped with some of it, adding in his own blue, using it as a marker for where he wanted to go; other people had added their own preferred colour (through either magic or dyes) for the same reason, while others had drawn on the buildings like paper, each wall, door or close available surface telling its own, unique story. 

"Not what you expected?" Chuck asked, teasing creeping into his voice as he passed Mike, and Mike blinked, shaking his head. 

"No," Mike admitted, studying the scene in front of him before he started moving again. "From the way King Kane described Southern Raymanthia, I had been picturing something more...bleak."

"Where killers and the lowest of all citizens collect to plan his demise." Chuck shrugged. "That's what I thought, too, when I first came down here." 

There was a pause before Mike said, "You were born in Northern Raymanthia?"

Chuck nodded, already knowing what conclusions he was coming to. 

A drawn out breath. "And with your magic..."

"Yes." People who were discovered to be able to wield magic were snapped up by Kane as soon as they were found; they made powerful fighters for Kane's army, and if they were fighting _for_ Kane, it meant they weren't fighting _against_ him. Refusing him was never an option; if the magic user didn't do what he wanted, it wasn't just their own lives at risk, but also the lives of their loved ones. Not being found by Kane was the better option, _especially_ if the magic user hadn't volunteered and then had to explain why they hadn't gone straight to Kane when they were of age. 

"Anyway," Chuck said, shaking his head, "we should keep moving."

Mike looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but he didn't voice them, though it took him a while to speak again. "Where do we go from here?" 

"The third fork on the left, and then the second right." Chuck paused, remembering something. "Or you can follow the blue…" He blew the hair away from his eyes, trying to think how to describe what he'd used. "The blue fireball – it's got a trail behind it." He no longer needed his own markers to navigate, but they were easier to remember than directions. 

Mike nodded, studying the path in front of them. "All right." They continued moving again, keeping their eyes and ears open for anything suspicious. 

_Thankfully_ they made it to Jacob's tavern without any more incidents, and after everything that had happened over the course of the last day, Chuck was relieved to see the familiar building again. 

They knocked on the back door and hovered there, glancing around them just in case, but eventually the door opened, and Jacob's face was briefly surprised before he greeted them both with a smile. 

"Come in, come in!" Jacob said as he ushered them into the tavern, checking if there was anyone else outside before closing the door behind him. "I wasn't expecting you two back so soon," Jacob said as he started bustling about the kitchen. The smells were familiar to Chuck, even though he had no idea what Jacob had concocted this time. 

"Ha..." Chuck laughed weakly, rubbing his arm. "We...stole a horse..." 

Jacob's eyebrows rose in disbelief, his arm pausing above the pot. "And you _rode_ it?" 

"Yes, Mike..." Chuck trailed off as he realised just _what exactly_ he had been doing for the entire ride, and then his face felt like it had been exposed to the dragon's fire all over again. No wonder Mike had hugged him without any hesitation when they got off the horse! 

"Heh," Mike said, nudging him lightly with an elbow, "Chuck did most of the work."

That...wasn't what they were talking about, and Chuck could _see_ Jacob hiding his grin as he turned away from them to collect some bowls. 

"I bet you boys are hungry," Jacob said, and while Mike made an affirmative sound, Chuck kept silent, knowing what to expect better, still distracted by what he had just realised. 

Whatever was in the bowl wasn't as green as Chuck had expected it to be, but he didn't catch what Jacob called it as a faint buzzing in his head made itself known and he grimaced, putting a hand on his head; it wasn't _painful_ , but it was disconcerting how the kitchen seemed to be listing to the right. 

"-l right?"

Chuck sucked in a breath, trying to focus on the voice. "Not...really?" he said weakly, looking at Mike. "I think everything just caught up with me." Or had already caught up with him and he was only on his feet through sheer force of will. 

"That's not surprising," Jacob said, and then tilted his head towards the door that lead further into the tavern. "Go on, get some rest."

Chuck smiled as he ducked his head. "Yes, I think I will." Not think; he _would_ be getting rest - it was just a matter of if he would able to reach his bed in time. 

"Do you want some help?" Mike asked, already moving towards him, and Chuck waved his hands. 

"I'll be fine!" His voice didn't squeak at the end of that, really. "It's not far." Only up a flight of stairs. And down a corridor. It was manageable. Probably. 

"All right..." Mike eased himself back down onto the stool (and when had he stood up in the first place?), still watching him. 

Chuck could feel their gazes on him as he left, and he tried to not drag his feet, but he bumped his toes on every single one of the steps as he forced his legs up them, a hand braced on the wall, just in case. 

He stumbled into his room, mustering together the last of his strength to lean his staff on the wall. Then he flopped onto his bed and fell asleep.

~ * ~

It was dark outside Chuck's window when he woke up, the stars shining brightly against the sky. His stomach felt like, since it was completely empty, it had decided to gnaw on itself in an attempt to sate itself; well, there was no question where he was going to go next. Chuck winced as he got up, his muscles aching.

He padded through the tavern to reach the kitchen, hearing the celebration of... _something_ through the walls. There was still some food left and after poking and sniffing at what was above the fire, Chuck poured some into a bowl. The consistency was thick, but it didn't cling to the ladle, like one of Jacob's previous experiments had done; they'd had to throw _that_ pot out afterwards when the food completely solidified inside it. Even _Jacob's_ magic hadn't been able to scratch its surface.

Chuck sat on a stool, dragging his spoon in circles - it should be safe to eat if the pot was halfway empty - usually before then, if there were any adverse effects, word would have gotten around and people stopped ordering it. He brought up a spoonful, eyed it briefly, before he jammed it into his mouth and swallowed it as quickly as possible. ...Well, it didn't activate his gag reflex, so there was that. It left a tangy but sweet aftertaste, and, weird combinations aside, it still seemed edible. 

The door creaked open. "Ah, you're up. How are you feeling?"

Chuck smiled tiredly at Jacob, running his spoon through the food again. "Better. Still sore, but I could definitely be worse." 

Jacob chuckled at that. He pulled up a stool and sat next to Chuck, an eyebrow raised. "Mike was telling me about what you two were up to together..."

Chuck groaned into his bowl. "Really, I didn't _do_ that much," he stressed. Why did Mike keep insisting otherwise? "It was all Mike's doing." 

"That wasn't what I heard," Jacob said, teasing in his voice, his moustache doing nothing to hide his smile. "He seems to think it was because of you that you were both able to make it back here." 

"'Seems to think'." Chuck shook his head, sighing. "He took care of the knight and stole the horse, and it was his idea to leave a false trail for the knights to follow."

"Mmhm." Jacob didn't look at all convinced. "And who exactly was the one who _warned_ you two that there were knights coming, and who drew the knight's attention? Who used his magic to keep checking if they were being followed, to the point of nearly knocking himself unconscious?" Jacob paused. "And this isn't even going into when you two fought the dragon."

Chuck squirmed at every point Jacob made, twirling his spoon between in his fingers. "Y-yes, I did, but - I mean..." When Jacob said it like _that_ , it sounded like he'd done a lot more than he truly had. "The important things were done by Mike."

Jacob sighed, though it turned into a resigned chuckle at the end. "We're going to go around in circles if we continue." 

_That_ was definitely true, and it wasn't as if they hadn't had similar conversations before. Chuck dug into the goop again, and he fared better the second time, so he continued eating, not trying to swallow it as quickly as he could, no matter how much his stomach wanted him to. 

After a few more spoonfuls, Jacob's expression turned more serious. "Mike also told me you two plan to try and find more Old Civilisation ruins?"

Chuck blinked and then swallowed the food still in his mouth, nodding. "The one artefact Mike found..." Chuck shook his head at the memory. "Has he shown you it? If we could find more weapons like that, or - just _anything_ , then Southern Raymanthia wouldn't be so defenceless against Kane!" Kane kept advancing south, expanding his kingdom, enslaving all those that got in his way or had homes in the areas that Kane took over; Raymanthia used to be _free_ , united, before Kane had come and founded his kingdom to the north, and no-one had the power to fight back against what he was doing. 

"I know, Chuck, I know." Jacob closed his eyes, his head briefly dipping forward, before he opened his eyes again and gave Chuck a level look. "Now, I may be wrong about this, but if my memory serves me correctly, there are stories of how the people of the Old Civilisation developed the ability to summon dragons from another world."

Chuck dropped his spoon, his jaw dropping open at the same time; his thoughts raced as he worked out what Jacob _wasn't_ saying. "If the Old Civilisation knew how to summon dragons and Kane's suddenly using dragons, then that means-!" His stool clattered to the ground as he stood up suddenly. "We have to move _now_ \- we don't know how long it's going to be until-"

"Woah, Chuck, slow down," Jacob said, hold his hands up in a placating manner. "I know you want to start looking right away, but you're still recovering from yesterday - and you don't know where to look."

"But-"

"You need to rest," Jacob interrupted him, his voice brooking no argument. "There's no point haring off now if you're already aching. What happens if you stumble across more of Kane's knights? And you don't have a direction - you could be running in the completely wrong direction, and then you'd waste time backtracking."

Chuck's shoulders sagged and he let out a breath, scrubbing his face with a hand. Jacob had a point. "Yes, you're right," he said quietly, pulling his stool back up. "But I don't..." It rankled him to stay put when he _knew_ Kane had access to Old Civilisation artefacts, that every moment he spent doing anything else was more time Kane spent gathering even more power. 

Jacob chuckled again, jerking his head towards the door, indicating the raucous behind him. "Don't you worry; if there's any information about potential places where you can find Old Civilisation artefacts, I'll hear it."

Chuck smiled, feeling lighter. Yes, he would.

"Now then," Jacob said, hefting himself to his feet, "I should get back - there's probably a fight about to break out, if I know Ed. Eat and straight to bed, you hear?"

Chuck nodded. "There isn't anything else I want to do."

"Mm. Good." With a wave, Jacob went back to the main part of the tavern. 

Chuck blew the hair away from his face, his fingers tapping on the bowl, his mind blank as he stared at it. Well, he'd said that he'd eat and then go to sleep, so he was going to do just that.

~ * ~

The next time Chuck woke up, the sun was high in the sky, the distant sound of people moving around filtering through both the window and the walls. He lay there for a while, wondering if he should get up or if he should just roll over and get more sleep. His body didn't feel like it wanted more rest, even though it still ached, and while his stomach wasn't trying to eat itself this time, it wanted to be filled again. 

He blinked at the tread of footsteps that paused outside his door. Bemused, Chuck swung himself upright with a grunt, making his way towards it. Jacob normally knocked by now, but he probably didn't want to wake him if he was sleeping. He opened it, saying, "Morn - ning...?"

It wasn't Jacob on the other side of the door, but Mike, wearing new clothes, the Northern Raymanthian blue replaced with more earthy colours. Mike seemed comfortable in them, unlike what Chuck had seen from other people, the first time they wore Southern Raymanthian clothes; Chuck remembered how he'd felt the first time he'd worn them, and it had taken him days to get used to the feeling, the texture of the cloth. 

Mike quirked a grin a him, ruffling the hair at the back of his head. "Morning. Just wanted to check on you." Mike peered at him, looking him over. 

"I'm doing better than yesterday," Chuck said, giving him a small smile in return. But then, it was easy to feel better after what had happened. "You?"

"Heh. Not as bad as I expected, thanks to your healing." 

Chuck huffed, shaking his head. He really wasn't going to stop, was he?

"Sooo, you ready for breakfast?" Mike asked. "Or do you want more rest first?"

Chuck's smile widened. "We can try what Jacob's cooked up - for breakfast, even."

Mike laughed.

~ * ~

Breakfast didn't end with needing to rush towards a window, though there had been some facial contortions, but that was it. 

"You boys done?" Jacob asked once they were finished, and when they nodded, Jacob said, "Good. That means you can help me around the tavern."

Chuck blinked, starting to frown in puzzlement. "Jacob, I thought you said we were supposed to rest...?"

Jacob smiled as he picked up their bowls. "I did - but I also know what can happen if you're bored."

Chuck ducked his head, a weak laugh escaping his lips. "That only happened once!" Because he _never_ wanted to go through that again. His face flushed at the thought. 

"Mmm." 

Mike was glancing between the two of them, a light sparking in his eyes. "Sounds like some story."

"Oh, it is. You see-"

"Ahaha!" Chuck laughed loudly, hoping it would drown out Jacob's words, moving to help him with the bowls. "What do you need doing?"

"Well, since you asked..."

Jacob really knew what to say to get him to do what he wanted... Mike seemed to recognise what Jacob had done, and while he looked amused at what had just played out in front of him, he didn't _look_ like he was going to press what had happened. Chuck hoped.

~ * ~

"Hey, Chuck." That was all the warning Chuck had before he had an arm slung across his shoulders, and he only stiffened briefly, recognising Mike's voice beforehand. He still sagged under Mike's weight, Mike leaning on him more than Chuck expected. "Wow, that was more tiring than I expected; you do that all the time?"

"Not really," Chuck said, leading them to the kitchen. "I'm normally fetching ingredients Jacob needs - and I'm usually not exhausted to begin with," he added wryly. 

"Heh, yes, there is that."

There were some kind of...cakes set aside in a corner, a couple of pears nestled next to them. "Well," Chuck said, studying the cakes, "if we can't eat whatever these are, we still have the fruit." When it came to Jacob's cooking, you had to learn to be optimistic. 

"He does this often, huh?" Mike said, poking at the cake with a spoon. The cake _wobbled_. 

"Every day," Chuck said, sighing. "He likes testing them out on, well, everyone." And since he was one of the people who had the most contact with him, Chuck was also usually Jacob's first choice for trying out what he had just finished making. Chuck had mostly gotten rid of his reflex of judging if something was edible by what it looked like in the time he'd spent with Jacob, but there were still some things that he had flat-out refused to put into his mouth: the thing that looked like it had sprouted tentacles was one, and the one that oozed around the plate as if it were _still alive_ was another.

"...Wow."

Chuck shrugged, cutting into a cake with his spoon to see if there was a surprise filling - there didn't seem to be one, thankfully. "You get used to it." Mostly. Or you developed certain defence mechanisms to deal with it. After cutting out a small piece, Chuck plopped it in his mouth - it was drier than Jacob's last batch, but it wasn't as bland either. 

"If you didn't, I don't think you'd still be here," Mike said, watching what he was doing before beginning to eat his own cake. 

"No, if you _really_ don't want to try out any of his stuff, Jacob won't force you to," Chuck said, reaching for the cake again. There was something about the taste that Chuck couldn't place, his tongue both wanting more and rejecting it; his stomach wasn't rebelling though, and Chuck had found through numerous trial-and-error that _that_ was a better way to judge Jacob's cooking than taste.

~ * ~

"It looks like Kane's stopped searching for you," Jacob told Mike and Chuck a few days later while they cleaned tankards. "No-one's seen any knights for a while now." 

"Oh, good," Chuck said, letting out a breath, putting a tankard away. At least they didn't have to worry about that for the time being. Not until Kane attacked Southern Raymanthia again. It meant they could leave the tavern now without having to worry about being spotted. 

"But what about the ruin...?" Mike said, frowning. 

"I'm still gathering information about that," Jacob said wryly. "If they were that easy to find, every single person would have at least one Old Civilisation artefact in their home."

Mike winced, sighing. "Sorry, it's just-"

"I know, I know," Jacob said. "Be patient; we'll hear something soon."

"I hope so."

Jacob then eyed Mike very carefully, and Chuck's hands slowed down, realising he was sizing Mike up. Mike noticed this straight away as well, but he didn't say anything, watching Jacob back. 

"I also heard that there's some people to the northwest who owe you their lives," Jacob said. 

Mike stilled, and in the quiet room, Chuck heard his quick intake of breath. His expression flashed through so many different emotions that Chuck couldn't name them before they disappeared, and Mike turned his face away from them. "It's _because_ of me their lives were in danger," Mike said quietly, his voice tightly controlled. 

Chuck glanced between them, puzzled. What were they talking about? But if he were to guess, Chuck had a feeling it had something to do with Kane. Not that that was hard to figure out. 

Wait… To the northwest? That was where the Whispering Forest was. So did that mean - "Is this about how you ended up being chased by a dragon?" The question was out of Chuck's mouth before he realised he was talking and he closed it with a click of teeth. 

Mike winced, his shoulders hunched, and it was…strange, seeing him like that – Chuck hadn't realised how he'd already become used to Mike's openness, how free and unrestrained he was with physical gestures. He nodded, once. "King Kane…" Mike started slowly, "he chose me to lead his knights; _this_ -" Mike took in a breath, gritting his teeth. "This was his first command – he'd told me that we were clearing an area, that he wanted to test something." Mike pursed his lips as he crossed his arms. "He didn't tell me that the buildings we were clearing were inhabited, that what he was _testing_ was a dragon."

"How could you _not notice_ he was planning on using a dragon?" Chuck demanded in disbelief. That beast had been massive and completely unmissable!

"Teleportation magic," Jacob explained before Mike could, and Chuck turned his attention back to him. "You came down first, and then Kane sent his dragon."

Mike nodded. "It had been…docile when King Kane sent it, but when I realised what he wanted me to do, I refused." He didn't say anything for a while. "He wasn't happy about that and ordered the dragon to destroy their homes. I couldn't stop it." The last part was barely above a whisper. 

"Mike," Jacob said, "there are people who would have still done as they were ordered, even after finding out what Kane wanted them to do. You didn't; you refused to hurt innocent people. You were able to get the people out of their homes before the dragon attacked and then you lured it away, trying to keep them safe."

Mike frowned before he sighed. "Still…" He shook his head, straightening. "The only thing we can do now is to _stop_ him, so he doesn't do this anymore."

Jacob smiled at him. "Good."


	4. Chapter 4

Mike had started to pace. Over the last couple of days, Chuck had noticed Mike was always wanting to do something, having this well of energy that didn't seem to end. He needed something to distract him, and it wasn't hard to figure out what it was. Not with the way he looked to Jacob as soon as he entered their sight, his shoulders sagging when Jacob didn't have any news. 

"There hasn't been any more dragon attacks," Jacob said one day, and Chuck nodded, relieved at that. It looked like all of the dragon's aggression had come from Kane and they didn't have to worry about it rampaging through Southern Raymanthia. 

"Maybe he could only summon the one dragon," Chuck said, hoping. And that once the collar was off, it had returned to its own world.

"Or maybe he's just biding his time, pulling his strength together before he summons the next one," Mike muttered darkly. 

That…was entirely too likely. Biting his lip, Chuck tried to put his worry away; they couldn't do anything just yet. They had to wait.

~ * ~

"I've just heard-"

"Where?" Mike said, straightening, his entire focus snapping onto Jacob. The week had been long, Mike getting even more restless with every passing day. Chuck wasn't sure what would have happened if there hadn't been news for a few more days. 

"To the east," Jacob told them, his arm lighting up as he waved it, a map of Southern Raymanthia sharpening into view. "About...here," he said, pointing. It was surprisingly not that far from where they were; how hadn't anyone else stumbled across it yet?

Mike blinked at the display of magic before he nodded, staring at the spot, his eyes tracking back to where they were. Chuck supposed he had forgotten Jacob was a powerful wizard; Jacob didn't announce the fact, never wearing a cloak or wielding anything that would reveal him as such - he didn't need a staff to focus his power, not that he used his magic that often either.

"I have a horse prepared for you," Jacob said, jerking his head towards the back. "Just...be careful, you hear?"

"We will," Mike promised, already heading for the door. 

Jacob raised an eyebrow at Chuck, and he nodded, bringing up his own representation of a map, letting Jacob mark exactly where they should go. Chuck winced when he realised he would have to ride with Mike again. Hopefully, this time, he'd be holding onto the saddle pommel rather than hugging Mike the entire time. 

Mike had already swung himself up onto the horse when Chuck got outside and held his hand out for Chuck to grab. This time, there was no instant charging off as soon as Chuck was on, and he sighed, relieved, his hands sliding around to rest on the pommel. 

"Mm?" Mike shifted to glance at him over his shoulder. 

Chuck blinked. "What?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Mike said, moving to look forward again. "I just thought you'd do the same as last time."

Chuck flushed at the memory; he'd hoped Mike wouldn't bring it up again. "I didn't have the chance to get a proper grip, and once we started moving..." He couldn't move to adjust himself, too terrified at the thought of doing that, and doing it _wrong_ , in case he dragged them both off the horse. 

"All right," Mike said. The horse started moving just then, at a trot this time, and Chuck let out a breath. It looked like this trip wasn't going to be as fast-paced as the last one.

~ * ~

"Are we still on the right track?" Mike asked as they cantered their way forward. 

Chuck hummed, summoning the map again. They'd been making good time, and they didn't seem to be that far from their destination. They were currently passing the Dungeon of Anguish, which meant... "We should go a little more to the left," he said, eyeing the - 

He yelped at the blast of ' _warning_ ' that exploded in his mind, and Chuck's view swirled like a horse had kicked him in the face, settling on the image of knights, riding towards them. Oh, _dammit_.

"Knights are coming!" he gasped, blinking, and he felt Mike tense. 

"Where?" Mike demanded, the horse whinnying. 

"North!" How did they know? Were they tracking them, or were they - oh, no. "They might know about the ruin!" If Kane got his hands on what was there-!

"Well, we're getting there first!" And Chuck squeezed his eyes shut when the horse picked up speed. Except after his first yelp when they dodged around a tree, Chuck opened his eyes again, remembering his lesson from last time. 

They needed to know where the knights were though, so Chuck cast his senses out towards the wild senna that had initially warned him. The knights were hurrying, but they kept passing the spirits Chuck communicated with too quickly for him to be able to hear anything clearly. 

A shadow passed overhead. 

"Uh, _Mike_? They _have a dragon_!" He didn't care he was shouting in Mike's ear because he _did not_ want to deal with Kane's knights, let alone a _dragon_ at the same time!

"Then we're just going to have to hope we can find something there that can beat them! Hyah!"

What exactly could there _be_ in a ruin that could fight _that_ off? But there really was nothing else they could do but hope, so Chuck just clung on harder. They couldn't let Kane have more access to more Old Civilisation artefacts; what he had was already enough! 

There was a roar to their left, and Chuck flinched, already imagining the heat licking at his skin. 

"Chuck, still on the right track?"

Chuck let out a breath, trying to concentrate past the jostling. The map appeared and Chuck squinted, trying to see where they were. "Yes! Keep going!" 

The knights were catching up to them, less encumbered than they were, but where was the - 

" _Right!_ " Chuck screeched, a basswood showing him _exactly_ where the dragon was a heartbeat before the fireball shot out its mouth. 

The warning came just in time. The fireball shot past them, the trees that had been in front of them exploding and the horse shrieked, rearing. Chuck hadn't been prepared for it, and he let out a yell as he tumbled off the back, the air punched out of his lungs when he landed. 

"Chuck! Watch out!"

He jolted at the shout and what little air he had left in his lungs froze as he realised how dangerously close he was to being trampled. He rolled out the way, scrambling to his feet as quickly as he could, backing away. 

The dragon roared overhead, and that was too much for the horse. The horse reared up again, dumping Mike, and as soon as he was off, it thundered off in the direction they had come from. 

That was _not good_ and Chuck didn't think they'd be able to fight and ride the dragon like last time, not if the dragon had alerted the knights to where they were. They couldn't steal a horse this time either. 

"Come on!" Mike said, already running in the direction they were supposed to go. 

They were too far, and it was going to take too long, and they were going to be _too late_ , but Chuck followed him, only pausing to grab his staff, glad it hadn't been crushed under the horse's hooves or been caught in the fire. 

Mike was waiting for him and they shared a nod before they started running again. 

The dragon roared above them, and Chuck flinched, almost casting his senses upwards out of sheer instinct and self-preservation, but - 

Mike grabbed his hand. 

"I'll lead you," Mike said, his voice full of promise. 

"I _can't see_ ," Chuck stressed, shaking his head. He'd trip over roots or run right into a tree and that would waste even more time, or keep them in the same spot so the dragon could find them and eat them. 

"You could do it before?"

"I - well, yes," Chuck said, grimacing. There was too much going on; he couldn't think. "Can't immerse myself too much - I won't know exact distances but-"

"Chuck," Mike said, "if it wasn't for you, we'd be _dead_. Anything you do will help." 

...Right. Chuck's eyes fluttered as he concentrated, casting his senses out, trusting Mike to guide him around trees. He could still see, but it was like he was dreaming, not quite connected with what he was seeing. 

The dragon didn't seem to know where exactly they were, its long, serpentine neck swinging left and right as it scanned the trees; it was longer than the last dragon, a deep shade of blue this time, with a row of spikes that ran down its spine. Chuck was glad its own fire was billowing black smoke, obscuring everything. The knights... The knights were level with them and then passing them, not looking in their direction. 

They didn't know they were there. Or didn't care, letting the dragon take care of them. And why should they? They were going to get to the ruin first.

"The knights are ahead now," Chuck breathed, squeezing his eyes briefly, stumbling as everything sharpened back into focus. 

"Nothing we can do about that," Mike grunted, not letting go of his hand. "We _can_ stop them once they dismount though."

They could. Because the knights would need to take time to actually look through the ruin to find something. Chuck didn't reply, saving his breath for _running_ , throwing his senses skyward again, just in time to see the dragon making another pass over them. 

It didn't see them again, but he and Mike weren't going to so lucky the next time, breaking free of the cover of the black smoke. 

"Dragon's going to find us soon," Chuck warned Mike, and he saw Mike nod. 

"It attacks in straight lines?"

"I'm supposed to know?" Chuck retorted incredulously. "It _flies_ in straight lines," he allowed after taking another breath.

"Tell me when it's attacking."

Chuck grimaced, feeling like he knew what Mike was planning, his heartbeat picking an even faster pace at the thought. " _Before_ ," he stressed. They wouldn't be able to dodge the fireball after it had left the dragon's mouth! 

"So long as-"

"Now! _Now_!" All Chuck could see from the oak's view was the dragon's jaw dropping open as if time had slowed down, its mouth starting to glow. His heart was in his mouth as he leaped to a maple, trying to work out the angle where the dragon was attacking from - it was coming from the southwest. 

" _Keep going_!" he yelled, putting all his energy into running, dropping the connection he had with the maple tree. So long as the dragon didn't turn its head, they should -maybe, _hopefully_ \- be fine! 

There was a sickening ' _whoosh_ ' behind them barely a few heartbeats later, and Chuck tumbled over at the explosion. 

Chuck had not missed that. 

He lurched to his feet, seeing Mike do the same, feeling the dragonfire's heat lick at him. He didn't turn around, seeing the firelight send his shadow scattering across the trees - he _did not_ want to see how close they had been to dying. 

"Good thing it hasn't decided to land yet," Mike said, his voice light but strained as they stumbled forward, Mike leading Chuck again.

"Don't say that," Chuck practically whimpered, already trying to find the dragon again. "That means it'll do that when it finds us again." 

"Then we'll just have to make sure it doesn't find us."

Chuck wanted to ask if Mike knew what he was saying, but he was distracted when he realised just how _close_ they were to the Old Civilisation ruin. "We're nearly there!" 

And so were the knights. 

Chuck halted, yanking at Mike's hand. 

"Woah!" Mike exclaimed, stumbling. "Chuck?" he asked, turning around. "What is it?"

"We're about to run right into a group of knights!" 

Mike _grinned_ at that. "Thanks for the warning," he said, nodding as he pulled the skull out of his pouch. "How close?"

"Fairly close," Chuck said, pointing ahead of them. He shook his head, a buzzing in his head growing, his skin prickling. The dragon attack must have affected him more than he realised. 

"Got it," Mike said, nodding. He glanced back at Chuck, concern written all over his face. "You going to be all right?" 

Hah. Chuck nodded grimly, adjusting his grip on his staff. He hadn't used much of his magic yet, and he could still warn Mike when the dragon came. Which wouldn't be too long. 

Mike started running then, throwing his skull up, the skull transforming in an instant, the weapon's growl filling Chuck's ears. They broke through the trees and Chuck was at least gratified by how the knights had their backs to them, standing in a cluster in the centre of a circular stone platform that stood a little higher than the forest floor. Chuck focused his magic, collecting it before he threw it at the group of knights, not trying to aim too much, but wanting to do _some_ sort of damage before the knights could collect themselves. 

Mike charged at them, a battle-roar in his throat, but as soon as he stepped onto the platform, Chuck gasped, the prickling feeling that fluttered across his skin exploding, the sheer weight of _magic_ smothering the air. It felt like he had suddenly been submerged in water - everything was muffled and there was a constant pressure all around him, making it hard to breathe.

He wanted to shout out a warning, something, _anything_ , but he barely had enough strength to _stand_ , let alone do anything else; all Chuck could do was stare in horror as the platform lit up a sickly green from underneath Mike, lines streaking out between one blink and the next. 

They couldn't see it. They _couldn't see it_. Mike continued moving with no hesitation, more and more of the platform lighting up with every step, coating everything in a green light. He took down one knight and started battling against a second, his weapon a blur, but Chuck's heart halted when the air _shifted_ around him and the sunlight was blocked above him. 

No. _No_!

Chuck wanted to scream but the oppressive weight didn't change, and the dragon landed heavily on the platform, making the ground shudder in a whirl of claws and wings as it bellowed its rage. 

Against only the knights, Chuck had been a little worried, but still confident Mike would be all right after seeing how well he could fight. But fighting a dragon at the same time, and Chuck couldn't even move, couldn't help Mike? 

He wasn't going to survive. 

With a roar, the dragon slashed Mike, hitting him solidly and Chuck's heart lurched as he watched Mike being flung across the platform as if he weighed nothing. 

Mike landed with a ' _thud_ ', and Chuck could see his blood smeared across the platform. The pressure suddenly _broke_ , like a torrent that had broken free of a dam and Chuck gasped, falling to his knees, the ringing in his ears louder than before. 

The green magic spiralled skywards, and _now_ everyone else could see it, pointing and shouting, even the dragon spinning around in apparent confusion. 

Chuck didn't know what was happening, but he shoved himself to his feet while the knights and dragon were distracted and stumbled to Mike's side, not sure if he wanted to see what had been done to him. 

Mike was _alive_ , still breathing, and Chuck tried to put on a smile as he crouched beside him, knowing it was weak, but he did it anyway. 

"Chuck?" Mike said, wincing as he put a hand to his own chest. 

"Yes, it's me," Chuck said as quickly as he could, his head bobbing up and down as he lifted Mike's tunic. A slash bisected Mike across his chest, but it wasn't as long as Chuck had feared, though it was still bleeding heavily. "Hold still; I'm going to try healing you." Which was a completely useless act to do when they were surrounded by Kane's knights and a dragon, but if they wanted to increase their chances of getting out alive, Mike being closer to his best was what they needed. 

Biting his lip, Chuck concentrated, scrabbling to gather the magic he needed for the spell, hoping it would be enough to at least stem the bleeding. And that the knights and dragon were distracted enough to not attack while he was casting. When he felt he'd gathered enough of his magic, Chuck threw the spell at Mike; he let out a shaky breath when he saw the blood flow turn sluggish, the wound closing slightly. It wasn't a lot, but it was all he could do with the time they had. 

He grabbed Mike's arm and helped him to his feet, tugging one of Mike's arm across his shoulders as he supported his weight. They couldn't fight the knights and dragon right then, but maybe they could steal one of their horses again –if they hadn't scattered when the dragon landed- and get some distance away before the dragon caught up with them. 

…Right. That wasn't going to happen. 

"Chuck, wait," Mike wheezed, pressing a hand to his own chest. 

"Why?" he hissed, not wanting to waste any time, or draw unwanted attention so soon. 

Mike swallowed, his eyes going distant. "There's… There's something _here_."

Of course there's something here, Chuck wanted to say, knights and dragons and _impending death_ , but he held his tongue, an inkling telling him that wasn't what Mike was talking about. So he kept quiet, _waiting_ , even though he wanted to run. 

The pillar of magic coalesced and solidified, a form stepping out of it, the pillar wavering out of existence behind it.

What _was_ that? It was shaped like a wolf –the ears were wrong though, flopping down, and its fur was longer- but _bigger_. So much bigger, being able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the dragon. And it was bright green, its fur flicking as if it was a living flame. The wolf howled, and Chuck felt it reverberating in his chest. It felt as if _all_ of Chuck's internal organs dropped to somewhere in the ground, his mouth drying up. Why had they stayed? It was going to _eat_ them now!

The wolf bounded over the knights towards him and Mike, and Chuck froze, seeing his death in those wickedly sharp fangs. 

Except the wolf didn't try to attack or eat them; it span around so its head pointed towards the knights and dragon when it reached them, dropping to a crouch. Its focus was on them though, and then Mike _laughed_ , his hand tightening on Chuck's shoulder, tugging him towards the wolf. 

" _Mike_?" He couldn't – what was he thinking? Why was he-

"It's fine!" Mike said, already grabbing a handful of fur and starting to haul himself up. Chuck cringed, waiting for the wolf to snarl and shake Mike off for daring to attempt to climb it, but all it did was flick its tail. "C'mon!" 

Chuck didn't want to see what the knights and dragon were doing, so he scrambled up the wolf, trying his hardest not to tug too hard on the wolf's fur. 

Once he was sitting behind Mike, there was an obvious and familiar problem. "What do I hold on to?" All there was was Mike or fur! 

"Anything!" 

As if by signal (or maybe because of Mike; from what Chuck had seen, it was entirely too possible - it had been Mike's presence that had started the summoning, and it had been his blood that had finished it) the wolf leaped forward right then, eliciting a yelp from Chuck and with no other handholds again, he wrapped his arms around Mike. 

Mike didn't seem to mind, letting out a whoop as the wolf roared a challenge, the dragon bellowing its response. 

" _Mike_!" Chuck didn't need his magic to _see_ the dragon opening its maw, the depths of it already glowing. 

"Don't worry!" Mike called out over his shoulder. 

Don't worry? Don’t _worry_? They were about to be roasted by dragonfire – why _shouldn't_ he be-

The wolf reared its head back, green fire licking at its snout before a beam of magic shot out at the same time as the dragon breathed fire. They clashed with a thunderous bang, and Chuck had no idea how he stayed on the wolf's back from the resulting shockwave. 

"All right, Mutt!" Mike cheered while Chuck blinked the spots out of his eyes. 

Chuck was still trying to parse what had just happened, but Mike's words eventually filtered through. He couldn't – He _couldn't_ have heard that correctly. "'Mutt'?" he repeated incredulously. "Did you just call something you summoned from another world, ' _Mutt_ '?" The wolf was obviously sentient and they were going to insult it straight away by naming it _that_?

"Yes! She likes it; don't you, girl?"

" _She_?" How did he – Chuck sucked in a breath when he _felt_ the affirmation in his mind, hearing the happy sounding rumble from the wolf's throat. "She can…" Chuck said faintly. But that wasn't the only thing. "You can hear her?" But - Mike didn't have any magic. Was it through how he'd summoned her?

"Ye – woah!" 

Chuck let out a scream as the w - _Mutt_ lunged to the side, dodging the dragon's snapping fangs. She snarled again and another wave of green magic shot out of her snout, smashing into the dragon's neck. 

Kane's collar disintegrated, along with a patch of the dragon's scales, blood gushing from the wound, and the dragon froze like the last one had done. Chuck sighed in relief, leaning against Mike as Mutt backed away from the dragon. It was over. 

The dragon slowly turned to face them, arching its neck and hissing, snapping its wings out in an obvious threat display. Wait, what was going on…? Chuck could feel Mike stiffen, and Mutt raised her head, a growl rumbling deep in her chest. They circled each other slowly, and Chuck tightened his arms around Mike, feeling one of Mike's hands rest on his. This was bad. The last dragon hadn't attacked them afterwards – why wasn't this one doing the same? 

His magic was useless against a dragon, he knew that, and what good was his sight and hearing now? Except – Chuck leaned back slightly, trying to see where the knights were. 

As far as Chuck could tell, they were out of sight. Unless they'd been trampled underfoot by Mutt or the dragon. 

"Chuck?" Mike murmured.

"The knights," Chuck said in Mike's ear when he moved forward again. 

"Can you…?"

"Mm." Chuck rested his head on Mike's shoulder, half-closing his eyes as he tried to find them. The knights had passed a wild yam to the northwest a short while ago; Chuck wasn't exactly sure if it was all of them, but it appeared to be. 

"Running," Chuck whispered, adjusting his grip on Mike. "Don't think there's any lying in wait for us." The spirits couldn't see or hear them, at least. 

"Good to hear," Mike said. "Which only leaves…"

Chuck felt Mike tense again, and after all his previous experience, he tightened his hold on Mike, a scream blasting out his throat as soon as Mutt sprung forward. 

"This is worse than a dragon!" Chuck shrieked at the top of his lungs. The dragon had been _steadier_!

"Aw, you'll hurt her feelings!" But Chuck could feel her amusement before she refocused on the dragon. Chuck didn't know how he and Mike didn't tumble right off her back (Maybe Mutt had some kind of magic that kept them on her? He couldn't feel it, but he'd never encountered a being like her before) when she charged at the dragon. They met in a flurry of motion, snarling as they flung themselves at each other.

Chuck made a muffled sound when Mike shoved back into him suddenly when the dragon tried to reach past Mutt's head to snap at him. 

That was apparently the opening Mutt needed, her head hammering down at the exposed area in the dragon's neck. 

The dragon roared and Chuck whimpered, feeling like it was shaking his entire body.

Mutt howled and the world flashed green again. When Chuck could see again, he had just enough time to see the dragon slide out of view, landing with a ' _whump_ '. 

Chuck slumped against Mike, even though he hadn't done anything, feeling his heart rampage in his chest. Mutt padded over to the side, easing into a laying-down position. She turned her head to them, and Chuck had the impression Mutt was asking something, though he wasn't exactly sure what. 

"Heh. All right, girl," Mike said, patting Chuck's arms and Chuck stiffly let go, trying to move his locked muscles. He could feel where Mike's blood had seeped onto his tunic and he winced guiltily; he hadn't been pressing directly onto Mike's wound, but it wouldn't have been comfortable either way. Mike threw his leg over and then leaped off, landing soundly, even with his wound. 

Oh. That was what she wanted them to do… Chuck looked away from both Mutt and Mike; if she wanted them both off (well, Mike was the more important one), then that meant she was going back to her own world, didn't it? Chuck gingerly slid down her back, seeing her tail sweeping the ground as he did so, stopping at her hind leg, and then sliding down from there. 

Mutt stood up once he was off, and Chuck bit the inside of his cheek, not sure what to think. Mike had summoned Mutt, and it was obvious she was powerful, but if she was going back to her own world now… Mike was grinning at her though, looking fond, and Chuck sighed, ducking his head. She had saved their lives; it didn't matter she was going back now – maybe the next ruin they found, they could find something else that could stay on their world. 

"Hm? What's wrong?" Mike asked, and Chuck could see him turn his head towards him from the corner of his eyes. 

"Oh, it's nothing," Chuck said, not wanting to miss Mutt leaving; he was lucky that he'd even been able to see her in the first place.

Mutt walked over to the dragon and then started...

Uh...

Mike chuckled. "I wondered if she ate."

"She's not..." Chuck trailed off, dumbfounded, as he watched Mutt tear into the dragon, her tail wagging. 

Mike tilted his head. "She's not what?"

"I - I thought she was leaving!" 

Mike barked out a laugh before he slung an arm around Chuck's shoulders. "No, she's here to stay," he said, certainty in his voice as he grinned. 

She was…? Mutt lifted her head just then, like she heard his thoughts, cocking her head to the side as she grinned a wolf's grin at him, and Chuck could feel her confirmation in her head. Relief flooded him and Chuck just _sagged_ against Mike – Mike apparently hadn't been prepared for that and they tumbled over. When they were on the ground, unrestrained laughter spilled from Chuck's lips. After everything that had happened, they were still alive and now they had Mutt, who could help them fight back against Kane. 

And…maybe there were other Old Civilisation ruins to find, other beings like Mutt that could help them – Chuck didn't expect _him_ to be one of those people, and…he didn't want to be. Riding behind on Mutt was _more_ than enough.


End file.
